Students pick up top awards at state science fair
Local high school and middle school students picked up top awards for their scientific thought and creative ability at this year’s Montana State Science Fair.
The fair was held March 18-20 at the University of Montana.
Five Kalispell Middle School students did particularly well at state.
Mackenzie Marsh took first place for her project “Hot Ants vs. Cold Ants” in the eighth-grade biological category. Her project also earned the Peterson Grand Award.
Students earning second place included: Alexandra Houseworth, eighth-grade physical category, “The Renewable Rotating Recharger;” Jakob Ritzdorf, eighth-grade biological category, “The Effectiveness of eDNA to Find the Distribution of an Invasive Species;” and Keanu Ng, sixth-grade biological category, “Ocean Acidification.”
Calvin Schmidt’s project, “Erosion Preventions Strategies: A Simulation of an Eroding Shoreline,” received third place in the seventh-grade biological category.
Whitefish Middle School student Skyler Cameron’s project titled “Clean Air Zone?” took second place among sixth-grade physical projects. Cameron’s project also earned a first-place special award from the University of Montana College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences in the middle school division.
West Valley School seventh-grader Austin Bigman received a second-place special award from the Montana Energy Education Council and NorthWestern Energy for “Meltin’ Metal.”
In the high school division, Glacier High School’s Lucas Ritzdorf brought home three special awards for his work on “A Stochastic Computational Model for Dreissenid Mussel Invasion Risk in Montana’s Waterways,” which includes: the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Award, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for Outstanding Water-related Research, and the University of Montana Computer Science Department’s Computer Science Award for the high school division.
Laney Conger of Columbia Falls High School was awarded the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Science Research Award for her work on the “The Effects of Environmental Awareness on Recycling Decisions in Adolescents.”
Students were awarded with gold, silver or bronze ribbons.
Science fair results are as follows:
Middle school division
Gold
Tritica Fauske, Columbia Falls Junior High, “Musical Mice.”
Calvin Schmidt, Kalispell Middle School, “Erosion Preventions Strategies: A Simulation of an Eroding Shoreline.”
Hailey Hendrickson, Kalispell Montessori, “Soil Moisture Matters.”
Alexandra Houseworth, Kalispell Middle School, “The Renewable Rotating Recharger.”
Michael Manning, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Do the Shuffle.”
Mackenzie Marsh, Kalispell Middle School, “Hot Ants vs. Cold Ants.”
Keanu Ng, Kalispell Middle School, “Ocean Acidification.”
Jakob Ritzdorf, Kalispell Middle School, “The Effectiveness of eDNA to Find the Distribution of an Invasive Species.”
Skyler Cameron, Whitefish Middle School, “Clean Air Zone?”
Silver
Austin Bigman, West Valley Middle School, “Meltin’ Metal.”
Makenzie Christensen, West Valley Middle School, “Stubborn Bacteria.”
Tabitha Raymond, Helena Flats “DNA Fruit Salad.”
Natalie Knuffke, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Chew on This.”
Kennedy Postovit and Jordan Reiner, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Vitamin C You Later.”
Derek Smith, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “The Claw.”
Gracie Stolfus, West Valley Middle School, “Deep Freeze.”
Rebecca Vosen, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “To Hover or Not to Hover.”
Bronze
Dathan Luehr, Cayuse Prairie Elementary, “Chrystals Under Pressure.”
High school division
Gold
Laney Conger, Columbia Falls High School, “The Effects of Environmental Awareness on Recycling Decisions in Adolescents.”
Lucas Ritzdorf, Glacier High School, “A Stochastic Computational Model for Dreissenid Mussel Invasion Risk in Montana’s Waterways.”
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.